Codeveira vs Gerrit — Post-Commit Code Review Without Workflow Lock-in

Gerrit forces Change-Id hooks and a special push command. Codeveira works with your existing Git workflow — push normally, get reviews automatically.

Install Codeveira → See all features
The Gerrit workflow

What Gerrit requires from your team

Gerrit is a powerful tool, but it enforces a specific Git workflow that every developer must follow exactly. Here is what that looks like in practice:

To submit a change for review in Gerrit, developers must:

  1. Install the Gerrit commit-msg hook in every local clone: gitdir=$(git rev-parse --git-dir); scp -p -P 29418 user@gerrit.example.com:hooks/commit-msg ${gitdir}/hooks/
  2. Commit code normally. The hook automatically injects a Change-Id: I… trailer into every commit message.
  3. Push to a special refspec rather than the normal branch: git push origin HEAD:refs/for/main
  4. Wait for reviewers to +2 the change in the Gerrit UI before it can be submitted.
  5. The change is then submitted (merged) through Gerrit — not a normal git merge.

This workflow is well-suited to large open-source projects or teams with strict code quality gates. For teams that want lightweight post-commit review on top of an existing Git workflow, Codeveira is a simpler fit.

Feature comparison

Codeveira vs Gerrit

Feature Codeveira Gerrit
Review model Post-commit (after push) Pre-submit (before merge)
Workflow change required ✓ None — push normally ✗ Change-Id hook + special push refspec
Commit message format ✓ Any format ✗ Must include Change-Id trailer
AI code reviewer ✓ Claude, OpenAI, Ollama… ✗ Not built-in
GitLab integration ✓ Full API + webhooks ✗ Separate Git hosting
GitHub integration ✓ Full API + webhooks ✗ Separate Git hosting
Bitbucket, Azure DevOps ✓ Supported ✗ Gerrit is its own Git server
Works alongside existing tools ✓ Yes, including Gerrit Replaces Git hosting
Fine-grained access control ~ Role-based ✓ Very fine-grained
Mandatory review before merge ✗ Post-commit only ✓ Enforced gate
LDAP / Active Directory ✓ Yes ✓ Yes
Audit log (append-only) ✓ Extended+ ✗ Not built-in
Audit log export (CSV & JSON) ✓ Enterprise ✗ Not available
Audit webhook forwarding (SIEM) ✓ Enterprise ✗ Not available
Emoji reactions on comments ✓ Free+ ✗ Not available
Review watchers (observers) ✓ Standard+ ✗ Not available
CI status badge ✓ Enterprise ✗ Not available
Docker deployment ✓ Docker Compose ~ Docker available
Modern UI with themes ✓ 4 themes ~ Classic UI, PolyGerrit
Real-time comments (WebSockets) ✓ ActionCable ✗ Polling
@mention notifications ✓ In-app + email ~ Via email only
Daily digest email ✓ Per-user opt-in ✗ Not available
Repository browser (unified tab nav, branch switcher, Cmd+K search) ✓ File tree, blame, history ✓ Gitiles
Review templates ✓ Reusable title presets ✗ Not available
Outgoing webhooks per repository ✓ HMAC-signed JSON events ✗ Not available
Diff statistics in reviews list ✓ +N / -M per review row ✗ Not available
Configurable dashboard ✓ Drag & resize tiles, per-user layout, My Assigned Reviews & Recent Activity widgets ✗ Not available
Compare (file-to-file & full-repo) ✓ Standard+ — branch dropdowns, file picker ✗ Not available
Global Cmd+K search ✓ Repos, reviews, commits ✗ Not available
Go to file from diff ✓ Opens file at exact commit SHA ✗ Not available
Setup complexity Low — docker compose up High — site init, plugins, gerrit.config
Use cases

When to use Codeveira, when to use Gerrit

Choose Codeveira if…

  • ✓ You want post-commit code review without changing your Git workflow
  • ✓ You want an AI reviewer that automatically comments on every diff
  • ✓ You use GitLab, GitHub, Bitbucket, Azure DevOps or Gitea as your Git host
  • ✓ You want a lightweight, fast-to-deploy tool on top of your existing stack
  • ✓ Your team pushes directly to branches and merges via standard Git
  • ✓ You want real-time inline comments via WebSockets

Choose Gerrit if…

  • → You need mandatory pre-submit review — no commit reaches main without approval
  • → You manage a large open-source project where structured patch-set review is essential
  • → You need very fine-grained branch and ref-level permissions beyond what your Git host offers
  • → Your team is already proficient with the Gerrit workflow and Change-Id convention
Use them together

Codeveira and Gerrit are complementary

Many teams use Gerrit for pre-submit review and Codeveira for post-merge review and AI commentary — they solve different problems.

Pre-submit: Gerrit

Gerrit enforces that every change is reviewed and approved before it lands on the main branch. This is where Gerrit excels.

Post-merge: Codeveira

After a change is merged, Codeveira receives the ref-updated webhook event and creates a post-merge code review with AI comments.

AI commentary

Codeveira's AI reviewer posts automated inline comments on every merged commit. Gerrit reviewers can reference these insights during the next review cycle.

To use Codeveira with a Gerrit repository, install the gerrit-webhooks plugin and configure it to send ref-updated events to /webhooks/gerrit. See the Gerrit integration guide.

FAQ

Common questions

What is the main difference between Codeveira and Gerrit?
Gerrit is primarily a pre-submit code review tool: changes must pass review before they can be merged. It requires Change-Id hooks in every commit message and a custom push command (git push origin HEAD:refs/for/main). Codeveira is a post-commit code review tool: developers push normally to their Git platform, and Codeveira creates reviews automatically via webhooks — no workflow change required.
Can I use Codeveira with Gerrit repositories?
Yes. Codeveira integrates with Gerrit via the gerrit-webhooks plugin. When a change is merged (ref-updated event), Codeveira creates a post-commit code review for the merged commit automatically. You can run Codeveira alongside Gerrit — Gerrit handles pre-submit review, Codeveira handles post-merge review and provides AI commentary.
Does Codeveira require Change-Id in commit messages?
No. Codeveira does not require Change-Id or any other special commit message format. It works with ordinary commits pushed to any Git platform (GitLab, GitHub, Bitbucket, etc.) using standard webhooks.
Does Codeveira have an AI reviewer?
Yes. Codeveira includes a built-in AI reviewer that supports Anthropic Claude, OpenAI, DeepSeek, Google Gemini, Qwen/Tongyi and any OpenAI-compatible local server (Ollama, LM Studio, vLLM). Gerrit does not include an AI reviewer, though third-party integrations are possible.
Is Codeveira a replacement for Gerrit?
Not exactly — they solve different problems. Gerrit is a pre-submit gate; Codeveira is a post-commit review layer. If your goal is mandatory review before merging, Gerrit (or a pull request workflow in GitLab/GitHub) is the right tool. If your goal is structured post-commit review with AI commentary on top of an existing workflow, Codeveira is the right tool. Many teams use both.
How is Codeveira licensed?
Codeveira is free for unlimited users with local AI models. A license key unlocks cloud AI and advanced features: Standard ($10/user/mo), Extended ($14/user/mo), Enterprise ($16/user/mo). Enter the license key in Settings → License.

Post-commit review without the complexity

Deploy Codeveira on your infrastructure in minutes. Works with Gerrit, GitLab, GitHub, and 6 more platforms.

Read the installation guide → Gerrit integration docs